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Post by hykos1045 on Jun 12, 2019 11:05:03 GMT -5
www.brotherlygame.com/2019/6/11/18661593/nashville-sc-gary-smith-la-salle-university-bethlehem-steel
After his team won 4-1, USL Nashville FC's coach Gary Smith complained about field conditions and locker room facilities at La Salle.
“The circumstances weren’t very natural or normal... having a change of venue, it affected an awful lot of things,” Smith said in an interview posted on the team’s website. “Travel, obviously the field and the quality of the surface, the size of the surface, but most importantly, some of the facilities here have been diabolical. But it makes the victory, and coming from behind, even sweeter. In adversity sometimes, you see the best of people, and we have in our group today.”
Contrast the above with what he said about his team's rented facility, MTSU, during the US Open Cup:
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Post by GlitterBro #2 on Jun 12, 2019 11:18:36 GMT -5
In fairness, I've had parents of current players complain to me (not that I can do anything about it) about the conditions of the turf field...one of whom was a former player himself on the soccer team.
The most shocking part of the article to me was that McCarthy Stadium holds 7,500. i never would've guess that as it's capacity.
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Post by calsufan on Jun 12, 2019 11:44:53 GMT -5
Diabolical huh? Sounds like it's high time for an exorcism.
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louth
Mop-Up Time
Posts: 115
Likes: 284
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Post by louth on Jun 12, 2019 16:30:46 GMT -5
Perhaps our new AD will oversee a upgrade of all facilities as his track record at Northwestern suggests.
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Post by jellybean on Jun 12, 2019 17:20:02 GMT -5
Some thoughts.
1 Why did they have to move their match? Was their facility not available?
2 Someone obviously had knowledge of La Salle and their facilities?
3 They drew 471 fans? Why the big deal about capacity?
4 Were lights that important?
5 First time I heard the field was too narrow?
Put this on the bucket list. New Soccer facility.
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Jun 12, 2019 17:33:53 GMT -5
Was a student when they put the turf down. I don’t exactly remember what, but I do remember some type of consternation when they did so. I don’t remember if it was the type being too hard or soft or what, but I definitely have a memory of it being an issue.
Was great to run barefoot striders on after a long run though.
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Post by las71 on Jun 12, 2019 18:06:09 GMT -5
Bethlehem FC is affiliated with the Philadelphia Union and up until now were playing at the Union stadium, Taken Energy. Problems with the field there caused the Union to look for another venue for Bethlehem. Not sure how or why they decided on McCarthy stadium.
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Post by GlitterBro #2 on Jun 12, 2019 18:23:24 GMT -5
Some thoughts. 1 Why did they have to move their match? Was their facility not available? 2 Someone obviously had knowledge of La Salle and their facilities? 3 They drew 471 fans? Why the big deal about capacity? 4 Were lights that important? 5 First time I heard the field was too narrow? Put this on the bucket list. New Soccer facility. 1) their field in Bethlehem doesn't have light so they've been using the Union field, but that needed to "breathe" (natural grass) so a few games got moved 2) A few La Salle alums have played for Bethlehem Steel in recent years, but this field move was a last minute decision, so I suspect it was chosen as one of the few unused venues 3) LOL 4) Yes - this coming Saturday there is an 8 PM game 5) Yes - a soccer pitch should be wider than a football field (The Union Stadium has a width of 65 yards vs football fields having a width of 53 1/3 yards)..think Roman Catholic's 3-pt line on the baseline  For what it's worth, I've heard they can't have meets on the track because it is a 6-lane instead of 8-lane track. |
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Jun 12, 2019 18:47:31 GMT -5
Can’t have sanctioned meets. Torp had them look into widening when they redid the surface but they had to knock brick out so no dice.
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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Jun 12, 2019 21:47:52 GMT -5
The capacity at McCarthy has always been listed at 7500. Not sure if its legit or not. I'd imagine the turf is due for an upgrade, think those surfaces last 10-12 years. I don't understand the narrow field talk. The soccer lines are definitely outside the football lines, maybe slightly smaller than the Union's field, but I'd estimate its 60-62 yards wide so maybe 15 feet smaller than normal. I guess that's odd, not sure. As for the facilities, don't visiting teams still go over to Hayman to shower before hitting the road? Definitely not ideal, but not horrific.
The turf was being discussed when I worked there, but done a couple years after I left. The turf and the lights were a package deal. They weren't putting lights up on the grass field.
I think the turf at Talen Energy stadium was replaced after they hosted the NCAA rugby championships recently.
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Post by hykos1045 on Jun 12, 2019 23:54:47 GMT -5
The capacity at McCarthy has always been listed at 7500. Not sure if its legit or not. I'd imagine the turf is due for an upgrade, think those surfaces last 10-12 years. I don't understand the narrow field talk. The soccer lines are definitely outside the football lines, maybe slightly smaller than the Union's field, but I'd estimate its 60-62 yards wide so maybe 15 feet smaller than normal. I guess that's odd, not sure. As for the facilities, don't visiting teams still go over to Hayman to shower before hitting the road? Definitely not ideal, but not horrific. The turf was being discussed when I worked there, but done a couple years after I left. The turf and the lights were a package deal. They weren't putting lights up on the grass field. I think the turf at Talen Energy stadium was replaced after they hosted the NCAA rugby championships recently. The article confirms McCarthy's original 2006 Sprinturf was already replaced in 2017, so could still have about another ten years left on it. The NCAA requirements for regulation fields are 70 to 75 yards wide and 115 to 120 yards long. From the NCAA Rules book: |
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Post by GlitterBro #2 on Jun 13, 2019 10:01:55 GMT -5
I'm surprised he didn't bring up the cleanliness of the bathrooms under the stands. Last time I was there for a soccer match and had to use them, it was like something out of the Book of Revelations in there.
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Post by GlitterBro #2 on Jun 18, 2019 10:28:23 GMT -5
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Jun 18, 2019 12:10:58 GMT -5
I appreciate their donation! |
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Post by blueandgold on Jun 19, 2019 9:21:55 GMT -5
The pics in the tweets embedded in the article are less than flattering. I would link them directly here but don't want my post to be reported. |
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Post by weston2 on Jun 19, 2019 12:04:01 GMT -5
The pics in the tweets embedded in the article are less than flattering. I would link them directly here but don't want my post to be reported. John A. must be rolling over in his grave. |
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Post by big5explorer on Jun 22, 2019 8:06:39 GMT -5
Years ago, when the soccer field was grass, it was kept in immaculate condition. Was the turf put down specifically for football? Why not return to grass?
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Jun 22, 2019 8:57:45 GMT -5
I’m Assuming maintenance. Don’t need to mow turf.
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Post by hykos1045 on Dec 13, 2023 15:37:25 GMT -5
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